2013 IN A BLOGPOST

I still find it hard to believe 2013 has come to an end, and now we face a new year, 2014. Why is it the best times in our life whizz by?

I don't really know what to say other than what an amazing year 2013 has been. I could've had ten times as many pictures above, but I thought picking my favourite moments and photos would seem a bit more sensible. I had a good look through my photo folders from this year and attempted to piece together a small collage worth summing up this year.

2013 has been amazing because not only did I start blogging (which brings all of you lovely people here) but I went abroad for the second time in my life, to St.Lucia. It was one of the most spectacular holidays ever, and I'm so grateful for being taken there by my wonderful Mum. Yes, it was scary flying over the Atlantic ocean to the Caribbean and tackling the airports without Dad, but after the experience I feel a lot more confident than I have ever been. Experiencing a third-world country was such a contrast to what I'm used to, but meeting the people there was a real privilege. The hotel was so brochure-like it didn't seem real; a pool with swim up bar, open air restaurant and lounge, tropical gardens and the beach. I can now proudly say I have also been above and beneath the famous mountains called Pitons, trekked through a tropical rainforest and sped alongside dolphins. It is something I'll never forget.

This year I've been to some great parties with friends as well as making new friends, travelling with my closest friend to the beach and shopping, I've been to several shows, went horse riding for the first time and spent time with my Australian family who I only see every few years. It was also my sixteenth birthday, which was good fun. Christmas too was brilliant, and I love and am very grateful for everything I received.

Something else I feel should be mentioned is that I have over 14,000 amazing followers on Instagram in just over a year. To me this is still unbelievable and I can't thank any of them enough for supporting me and even viewing/following this blog. Lots of love to you all!

I have some good ideas for 2014 blogposts, hopefully making them quite creative, and I am already in the process of writing one called 'Your Time' which will hopefully be published on Friday. I would love to write weekly posts in 2014, but unfortunately I have upcoming GCSEs which sadly take priority. I will do my best to write as often as I can, but once they're all over I'll be back to regular posting.

I would like to end this post with some New Year's resolutions, but let's be honest, when have we ever carried them out successfully? All I can say is that I plan to work hard and achieve the best grades possible and perhaps meat a milestone on my blog...you never know! I hope that 2014 will too be a good year for you and there will be many adventures to come.

CHRISTMAS HAUL 2013

So sadly now, Christmas is over for yet another year and decorations are being boxed up and sale advertisements have already taken over our TV screens. Almost every year I hate after Christmas because all the warm festivity and spirit has disappeared and I remember I have to go back to school in just over a week and settle back down into the tiring routine. However this year I have reached the stage where although I feel sad it's all over, I can experiment with all my lovely new things and plan blog and Instagram posts. The only thing this year is that the majority of my Christmas budget was spent on makeup, therefore there aren't many clothes to show and a couple of items had to be unfortunately returned, but here is all of what I currently have from this Christmas.

NOTE: Please do not think I am showing-off in any way, I have been requested to write about what I received and I thought it might be useful for anyone who wants to spend Christmas money or hit the sales.

The makeup I received this year was perfect, the exact selection I was hoping for (I will try and get round to doing reviews or viewings of these items in future blogposts);

• MAC pro palette with x15 insert and four eyeshadows: Cranberry, Paradisco, Satin Taupe and Naked Lunch.
• MAC brushes: 266 angled brush and 217 fluffy blending brush.
• MAC lipstick in Pink Nouveau.
• MAC blush in Dame.
• NARS Triple X lipgloss.
• NARS Pro-Prime smudge-proof eyeshadow base.
• Benefit's 'They're Real!' mascara.

Due to this large expense in makeup, I only received a few clothes this year, as shown in the pictures above. The mint embellished neckline jumper from Topshop, the collared navy dress from ASOS and the zigzag top from Ted Baker, all of which I love. There were a couple of other items which unfortunately had to be sent back, so there will hopefully be an additional item on its way soon. I also got two scarves, a gorgeous faux fur snood from Accessorize and a tartan scarf from ASOS.

Onto the more individual items, I received Lauren Conrad's Style book, which I'm sure many of you have guessed I was very pleased about, being a fan of Lauren Conrad's Beauty book. I got given two iPhone cases, one from Ted Baker and the other a smart black leather. Other presents I received are as follows: two Essie nail polishes, Filthy Gorgeous red nail polish, three Topshop nail polishes, Remington curlers, white flower fairy lights, Topshop frilly socks, chocolate buttons (always a bonus), an iTunes £15 voucher and £70.

Overall, I had a really lovely Christmas. We ate out for the first time in years and the food and atmosphere were amazing. I hope everyone too had a great Christmas and that this post was helpful to you for any personal purchases or gift ideas.

I've started a plan on future blog posts, from reviews to outfit photography. This will take time, due to upcoming GCSEs and required equipment for the ideas I have in mind, so hopefully I can keep pleasing every single one of you in the meantime.

CHRISTMAS THEMED PAMPER EVENING

What better way to spend an evening near Christmas revolving every second of time around yourself? I had a lovely pamper evening just the other night, where I was able to simply soak up the relaxing atmosphere (as well as the bath-bombed water), listen to relaxing tunes and read for mental relaxation.

I lit my two favourite Christmas mini Yankee Candles, Snow in Love - a gorgeous soft powdery scent and Christmas Eve - a more spicy scent and my larger candle White Linen and Lace. I decided a bath isn't quite complete without a face mask, my current favourite Tea Tree pot from The Body Shop to cleanse and hydrate my skin.

My favourite part of the pamper evening was dropping my Lush 'Luxury Pud' bath bomb into the water and watching it explode into a rainbow of colours (once stepped into the bath water became a startling pink - don't worry, it doesn't stain!). What I also love is that the bright bomb, which I expected to smell quite citric, smelt of a lovely strong cinnamon (which, now thinking about it, makes sense) which really added to the warm Christmassy feel. Looking at the photos above, many of you might think that the bath bomb looks likely to irritate your skin due to the unnatural colouring, however I found it was very gentle and moisturising.

What better way to complete a relaxing beauty session than with Lauren Conrad's Beauty book. I know I have already talked about this in a previous post but I find it really useful for beauty tips and advice. It isn't particularly expensive either, I purchased mine from Amazon for only around £7. I also dipped into the Christmas edition of Vogue, which is one of my favourites because it is bigger than a normal monthly release.

I am looking forward to doing a Christmas blogpost soon.

Merry Christmas!

WINTER BEAUTY FAVOURITES

NOTE: I want to apologise for not doing a post in what seems like ages, I have been very busy with mock exams and revision, so unfortunately they had to take priority!

So I have numerous beauty products which I have been loving this winter, but I had to narrow it down to the ones that have been my all time saviours. Beauty items are essential at winter when your skin isn't looking its best because the sun is non-existent, the air is cold and drying and pale summery colours don't feel appropriate.

First of all starting with the beauty products. Skin care cannot be argued with in winter! My favourite moisturiser is currently the Clean&Clear dual action moisturiser. Finding a moisturiser that suited my skin really seemed impossible, until I started using this fabulous product. The reason I have a particular love for it is because, having combination skin (dry/oily), the previous moisturisers I had been using contained oil which did improve the dry areas but made the oily areas much worse. I don't really recommend using oil on your skin unless it is particularly dry, especially if you are susceptible to breakouts, because oil can sometimes cause pore blockages which results in spots (I know from experience unfortunately). But this moisturiser which isn't particularly pricey has worked wonders on my skin, leaving it feeling fresh and healthy without any greasy after-feeling and a reduction in breakouts. My winter must-have! Another moisturising treatment is the Body Shop body butter which I have been using on my hands and legs. If you're wondering why I use it on my legs, it's because they get quite dry after shaving so this body butter leaves them glowing and soft (always a bonus). The only downside is it does leave your skin feeling greasy for a while after, but the smell and overall effect is great. My favourite cleaning skincare has been the Tea Tree (and Witch Hazel) face mask from the Body Shop, and just Tea Tree and Witch Hazel in general. This is because they are antibacterial and I have found they leave my face feeling a lot cleaner and fresher than before.

For makeup beauty essentials, my favourite concealer (ever) has been the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. I don't use foundation, I do have a couple of bottles but I find it really doesn't suit me and I hate feeling a bit cakey, so instead I use this concealer on any blemishes (not my entire face) and it gives the effect of having naturally clear skin. My favourite under eye concealer which isn't shown in the photos is the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, very cheap but very good at hiding dark circles. I have loved bronzing up my face using the Bourjois Paris Délice de Soleil bronzing powder. For me this is highly important in winter when the sun is sparse and fake tan might look a little bit out of place. I have also been loving eyeshadow this month, my favourites being the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and dupes Maybelline colour tattoos. I love the bronze and gold colours particularly at the moment, and I find adding a dimension of colour to your eyelids looks really good. Onto my last skin beauty favourite, the MAC vanilla pigment. This is quite expensive but has been lasting me ages. I  bought it sometime at the beginning of this year and it still has the same amount inside because the pigment is so fine. I love using this in the corners of my eyes to brighten them and along my brow bone to give the effect of a defined bone structure. I only use the tiniest amount each time but when blended on my skin the pigment comes out very strong.

Onto nail care, my favourite nail treatment has been the Cutique ORLY cuticle and stain remover (hidden in the pictures, whoops). This has been brilliant at pushing down creeping cuticles and removing yellow stains from red/pink nail varnishes. I use this every time after I remove nail varnish for a minute or two and then wash it off using a nail brush and my nails have been a lot better condition since. My favourite nail varnish colours do tend to vary a lot during winter, but the ones I have been using the most are Barry M Black and Lychee. Both these colours are quite subtle but go with every outfit and look very classy. If I were to choose my favourite autumnal colours it would have to be Barry M Berry and shades of red from different brands.

The final beauty favourites aren't exactly things I can use on my body, but things that really relax my mind. I have been loving Yankee Candles, especially the Christmas ones, in my room or when I'm having a bath. Also Lauren Conrad's Beauty book, which I have found very helpful, and the Christmas Vogue. What about you?